WFD Compliant Transnational
Monitoring Network
in the Danube River Basin
Igor Liska
ICPDR Secretariat
Major drivers
DRPC (According to the Article 9 of the DRPC the
Contracting Parties to DRPC have agreed to cooperate in the field of monitoring and assessment
of the water resources)
EU WFD (establishing of WFD compliant
monitoring networks by 22 December 2006)
Trans National Monitoring
Network – TNMN
until 2007 – only surface waters
o
o
10
o
15
17 30'
20
UA
Sa
Zo
g
H01
H03
Bere
Cri
r sul
Cris ul
N egro
Ismail
H08
o
a
SCG15 S av SCG16
SCG17
BG08 Be
a
in
a
M
Dr
av
or
am
a
Za
p.
Ta
ra
Mo
Piva
r av
Sofia
a
BG
FYROM
100
150
Monitoring location
on the Danube River
on the tributary
250
250 km
t ra
m
ta
li L
om
Lo
os
ût
z.
Og
Ja
n
s.
BG03
Sk
Ju
Sarajevo
RO03
BG04
BG02
Danube
m
Lo
BLACK
SEA
Ru
ra v
BG01
RO04
BG05
RO02
Mo
FRY
BIH
Bucuresti
RO09
SCG08
Os
a
SCG07
es
O lt
ri n
SCG14
Beograd
SCG06
RO01
SCG05
a
Vrbas
na
Uk
Ialomita
A rg
J iu
BIH04 SCG13
B osn
Sa
BIH03
Tamis
SCG04
HR08
BIH02
a
ga
ar
va
HR02
BIH01
Un
Be
SCG11
SCG02
SCG03
SCG09
SCG12
a
SCG01
HR05
HR07
SCG10
RO0
5
si c
H05
H07
HR01
HR
45
RO
ca
Aran
Ro
Dr a
va
Is k
HR06
MD04
Alb
Vit
s
po
H06
Kupa
o
Körös
H04
Danube
Ka
a
HR04
Zagreb
trit
ja
es
str
Ra
HR03
Sa
SL
ur
S om
Mures
va
Ljubljana
I
M
Bis
e
Kishinev
ov a
et
SL01
Sa v Dravina
in ja
M old
thlyd
ed
l Rep
C risu
Tisza
Sa
a
Zala
a
Som es
H
Budapest
Sio
Drava
a
Sir
In n
Pe
s nic
yv
47 30'
MD
a
Cr
as
na
-
H02
z
Tis
3
SK03
E nns
z
Tis
Elo
ch v itz
an
ne
l
A
jo
H09
Ipel
SK04
a
Le th
MD01
Jijia
M
D0
Rim
Bratislava
Wien A04
Pru t
Siret
Sla n
a
a
av
g
SK
SK01
Danube
ad
o
Hro n
Bo
dr
o
CZ02
A03
A02
A01
ba
a ch
Iller
t ra
Kü
ht
ea reib
m er
Lech
s
Ni
ut
Pr
Salz
D03
o
H orn
a
av
a
o ch
D04
or
yje M
D
rn
Ta
B rig
München
In n
ra
tk
a
CZ01
D02
Isar
Ris
lav
a
je
Va
h
Naab
Dy
n
a
J ih
ge
Sv
a
e cv
av
Ond
Re
D01
50
30
a
l
47 30'
0
o
27 30'
av
üh
B
a va
CZ
e
nub
Da
Breg
o
25
PL
Sv it
Al
tm
o
22 30'
Praha
o
D
45
o
o
r
Mo
50
o
12 30'
o
42 30'
Revision of TNMN in 2007
The major objective
overview of the overall status and long-term changes of
surface water and – where necessary – groundwater on a
basin-wide scale
particular attention paid to the transboundary effects like
pollution load
link Danube nutrient loads and eutrophication Black
Sea
monitoring of nutrient sources and pathways of
nutrients in the DRB and the effects of measures to
reduce the nutrient loads into the Black Sea.
address all biological quality elements
SURFACE WATERS
TNMN
Surveillance Monitoring I
Surveillance Monitoring II
Operational monitoring
Investigative monitoring
Key activity at the basin-wide level = JDS
Organized once in each RBM Plan period
Trans National Monitoring
Network – TNMN
new setup surface waters
Surveillance monitoring I
Monitoring of surface water status
Provides assessment of the overall surface water status in
the DRB
Sampling and assessment: Once in the RBM plan period
Quality elements:
all biological quality elements,
hydromorphological parameters,
all general physico-chemical quality parameters,
priority list pollutants which are discharged into the basin,
other pollutants discharged in significant quantities
Operational Monitoring
Objectives:
assess status of those water bodies identified as being at
risk of failing to meet their environmental objectives
assess any changes in the status of such bodies resulting
from the programmes of measures.
The selection of parameters for the operational monitoring is
individual for a particular sampling site that represents an
affected water body.
Status/Potential
of Rivers - 2009
Ecological Status
Chemical Status
Investigative monitoring
……primarily a national task.
At the basin-wide level:
Joint Danube Surveys (every 6 years) will be used to carry
out investigative monitoring as needed
testing of new methods
checking the impact of “new” chemical substances
Surveillance monitoring II
Monitoring of specific pressures
Provides assessment of long term trends of specific
pollutants
Sound basis for load estimation transferred in marine
environment
Sampling and assessment: annually
Quality elements:
organic pollution
nutrient pollution
hazardous substances
Biology (selected)
hydromorphological parameters (site specific)
SM2 Chemistry
Surveillance Monitoring 2
Water
Water
concentrations
load assessment
Parameter
Flow
Temperature
Transparency (1)
Suspended Solids (5)
Dissolved Oxygen
pH (5)
Conductivity @ 20 °C (5)
Alkalinity (5)
Ammonium (NH4+ -N) (5)
Nitrite (NO2- -N)
Nitrate (NO3- -N)
Organic Nitrogen
Total Nitrogen
Ortho-Phosphate (PO43- -P) (2)
Total Phosphorus
Calcium (Ca2+) (3, 4, 5)
Magnesium (Mg2+) (4, 5)
Chloride (Cl-)
Atrazine
Cadmium (6)
Lindane
Lead (6)
Mercury (6)
Nickel (6)
Arsenic (6)
Copper (6)
Chromium (6)
Zinc (6)
p,p´-DDT and its derivatives (7)
CODCr (5)
CODMn (5)
Dissolved Silica
BOD5
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 1 or 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
anually / 12 x per year
daily
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 26 x per year
anually / 12 x
(1) Only in coastal waters
(2) Soluble reactive phosphorus SRP
(3) Mentioned in the tables of the CIS Guidance document but not in the related mind map
(4) Supporting parameter for hardness-dependent eqs of PS metals
(5) Not for coastal waters
(6) Measured in a dissolved form. Measurement of total concentration is optional
(7) ; In areas with no risk of failure to meet the environmental objectives for DDT the monitoring
frequency is once per year; in case of risk the frequency is 12 x year
SM2 - Biology
PHYTOPLANKTON
chlorophyll-a
BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES
Saprobic index and number of families (ASPT
and EPT taxa optional)
PHYTOBENTHOS
benthic
diatoms –optional parameter
SM2 - Temporal changes of
nitrate-nitrogen (c90) in the
Danube and its tributaries
6
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
NO3-N mg/l
5
4
3
2
1
0
2538
2204
2204
2113
1935
1879
1869
1806
1806
1768
1768
1708
1560
1435
1429
1427
1367
1337
1287
1258
1174
1155
1077
1071
955
851
834
834
641
554
503
432
375
375
132
18
0
0
DE5
DE2
AT1
AT5
AT3
AT6
SK1
SK2
HU1
SK3
HU2
HU3
HU4
HU5
HR1
RS1
RS2
HR2
RS9
RS3
RS4
RS5
RS6
RO1
RS7
RS8
RO2
BG1
BG2
BG3
BG4
RO3
RO4
BG5
RO5
RO6
RO7
RO8
Monitorings sites / distance from the mouth [km ]
14
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
12
NO3-N mg/l
10
8
6
4
2
0
DE3
Inn
DE4
CZ1
CZ2
Inn/
Morava Morava/
Salzach
Dyje
SK4
HU6
Vah
Sio
Sl1
HR9
HR4
Drava
HR5
HU7
HU9
RS10
RS11
Tisza
RS12
HU8
Tisza/
Sajo
SI2
HR6
HR7
HR8
RS13
Sava
RS14
RS15
RS16
RS17
Velika
Morava
RO9
RO10
Jantra Russ.Lom Arges
BG14
BG15
Siret
MD1
RO11
MD3
Prut
Monitoring site / Tributary
Analytical Quality Control
Distribution
Date of
Sample type
round
2009/I.
Determinands
distribution
Week 15
Surface water
SO
24
, K, Na, Fe, Mn
-
06.04 - 10.04.
Cl ,Ca, Mg, TH
NH
NO
+
4
, NO
3
, PO
34
, TP, Kj-N
2
COD
Mn,
DOC
MBAS
phenol index
AOX
2009/II.
Week 24
Surface water
petroleum hydrocarbons
COD
08.06 - 12.06.
Cr
, BOD
5
, DOC
pH, conductivity
TN
Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn
Hg
2009/III.
Week 39
Surface water
21. 09 - 25.09.
2009/IV.
Week 46
09.11. - 13.11.
surface water sample
atrazine, lindane, simazine, alachlor,
endosulfane, 4,4'-DDT , PAHs, PCBs
Surface water
Determinands with more than 15%
rejected results will be redistributed
Analytical Quality Control
Variation in the reported values of PO4-P and DDT in AQC samples
Load assessment
programme
Integrated with the TNMN
Loads are calculated for BOD5, inorganic nitrogen,
ortho-phosphate-phosphorus, dissolved
phosphorus, total phosphorus, suspended solids
and chlorides (voluntary)
Minimum sampling frequency - at least 24 per year
Annual loads of BOD5 at monitoring
stations along the Danube River in
2008
400
7000
350
6000
300
4000
200
3000
RO2
150
2000
AT5
1000
SK1
50
HU3
100
0
2800 2600 2400 2200 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800
distance from the m outh (km )
BOD5
discharge
0
600
400
200
0
discharge (m 3.s -1)
RO5
250
DE2+AT1
BOD5 (x 103 tons)
RO4
5000
GROUNDWATERS
Groundwater bodies of a basinwide importance in the DRBD
Parameters and frequency for
the surveillance monitoring
program
AT/DE
Transboundary GWB*
1
BG
2, 4
CS
7
HU
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11
MD
3
RO
SK
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
8, 9, 10, 11
x
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
x
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
>1/a (selected stations)
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
CHEMICAL (with estimation of frequency)
Oxygen
pH-value
Electrical conductivity
Nitrate
Ammonium
Temperature
Further parameters, e.g. major ions
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/5a
1/a
cont.
x
operational
>1/a
>1/a
>1/a
>1/a
>1/a
>1/a
x
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
1/a
x
x
>1/a
>1/a
>1/a
>1/a
>1/a
QUANTITY
GW levels/well head pressure
spring flows
Flow characteristics
Extraction (not obligatory)
Reinjection (not obligatory)
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
GW monitoring design in
TNMN
Monitoring parameters
Agreed obligatory parameters: conductivity, NH4 and NO3
All parameters for which GWBs are ‘at risk’ or having ‘poor
status’
Additional parameters characterising the GWB
Aggregation procedures
Minimum (of all sites - mean per site)
Mean (based on mean per site)
Maximum (of all sites - mean per site)
standard deviation
10, 25, 50, 75, 90 Percentile
Reporting frequencies - Reference year: 2007, reporting year:
2008, then every 6-years (in line with reporting to EC)
Objective
WFD intercalibration exercise
high
good
high
Comparison of national quality
classes among countries …
good
moderate
moderate
country A
country B
EC GIG – Common
Intercalibration Stream Types
• ecoregion
• catchment area
• altitude
• geology
• substrate
R-E1
Small to medium-sized, mid-altitude
streams in the Carpathians
(CZ, HU, RO, SK)
R-E2
Medium-sized, lowland
streams in the Plains (HU, RO, SK)
R-E3
Large and very large, lowland
rivers in the Plains (BG, HU)
R-E4
Medium-sized, mid-altitude
streams in the Plains (AT, HU, RO, SK)
R-E6
Middle and downstream section types
of the Danube River
(AT, SK, HU, RO, BG)
Results
EC GIG IC exercise
R-E4
Medium-sized, mid-altitude
streams in the Plains (AT, HU, RO, SK)
national assessment index
0,9
0,8
0,7
good
good
good
good
0,6
0,5
0,4
pre-IC
intercalibrated
Austria
pre-IC
intercalibrated
Slovak Republic
EC GIG IC exercise
EC GIG IC exercise
• Q1. Do all national assessment methods meet the
requirements of the Water Framework Directive?
• Q2. Do all national methods address the same
common type(s) and pressure(s), and follow a
similar assessment concept?
• Q3. Do all countries apply the same assessment
method (but different status classifications)?
• Q4. Is the BQE sampling and data processing
generally similar, so methods can reasonably be
applied to the data of other countries?
EC GIG IC exercise
Phytoplankton
Comments on Q1
3.06 Key source(s) to derive
reference conditions
3.07 Reference site characterisation:
Criteria
3.10 Setting of ecological status
boundaries
Hungary
Romania
Slovakia
• Reference site selection criteria are not specified by Romania.
• Boundary setting procedure by Romania needs further specification.
Existing near-natural reference sites,
Least Disturbed Conditions, Modelling
(extrapolating model results)
No off-river and in-channel reservoirs on
the watershed. The species composition
is close to those proposed by the model.
Minimal organic pollution.
High-good boundary derived from metric
variability at near-natural reference sites
Existing near-natural reference sites,
Expert knowledge, Historical data
Least Disturbed Conditions
Natural (undisturbed) sites or near natural
sites.
No reference sites used.
High-good boundary derived from metric
variability at near-natural reference sites
Equidistant division of the EQR gradient
Organic pollution and saprobic index;
ecological status boundaries RO 01 type
H/G = 1.285; G/M = 1.57.
No reference sites for large lowland
rivers, derivation of reference values
based on expert judgment; confirmation
by calculations/statistics. Advance setting
of boundaries (data from period 20012005): statistical values (mean of 6
measured values within vegetation period
for each metric in monitored sites) were
calculated for setting of boundaries.
These were verified after calculations by
expert judgment and compared
(correlated) to chemical quality class
boundaries.
Q1
3.11 Boundary setting procedure
The functional groups of algae were
evaluated on basis of their ecological
characteristics. Nutrient status, tolerance
of turbulent conditions, time sufficient for
development of the given assemblage,
and general risk. All the groups were
given a factor number (1-5). All the
boundaries were set by the relative
abundance of the reference (F=5) and
good (F=4) taxa. These ratios were
different in every river type.
EC GIG IC exercise
Phytoplankton
Comments on Q2
1.09a Detected pressure(s)
Q2
1.09b Demonstration of pressureimpact-relationship
Q3 Comments on Q3
Q4 Comments on Q4
• Similar pressures are addressed by the different methods, however Romania and Slovakia have
not demonstrated the pressure-impact-relationship.
• Different biological metrics are applied, pointing at deviating assessment concepts (see Annex).
Eutrophication, Flow modification, Impact
Eutrophication, General degradation,
of alien species, Pollution by organic
Pollution by organic matter
matter
Phytoplankton data (394) from 104 HU
rivers (including all HU river types) were
examined to establish pressure-impact
relationship between the HRPI and the
stressors indicating nutrient and organic
load. The relationship showed significant
not demonstrated
correlation with the measures of organic
pollution (BOD, COD, Oxygen saturation).
R2 values ranging from 0.2-0.37
depending on river type. Significant
relationship was not observed with the
inorganic nutrients.
•
•
•
•
Eutrophication, Flow modification,
Pollution by organic matter
not demonstrated
All countries apply a different method.
Assessment is based on different sample volumes and different numbers of sampling occasions.
The level of taxonomical identification differs between methods.
The selection of biological assessment metrics differs between methods.
BQE method harmonization
- general info
1.01 GIG:
1.02 Category:
1.03 BQE:
1.04 Country:
1.05 Specification:
1.06 Method name:
Eastern Continental
Lakes, Rivers
Benthic Diatoms
Hungary
none
Improvement of the Hungarian Ecological Water Qualification
System - Phytobenthos
1.07 Original name:
1.08 Status:
Method is/will be used First RBMP (2009)
1.09 Detected pressure(s): Eutrophication, General degradation, Pollution by
organic matter
Has the pressure-impact-relationship been tested?
Yes, with qualitative data (e.g. response at reference against impacted sites). On basis of
the pressure data (TP, BOD, CODCr, Electrical Conductivity) the Least Disturbed
Conditions (LDC) were selected. The relationship between the phytobenthos metrics and
BOD, EC, COD, TN, ox. Sat and SRP showed significant correlations in several types
(Spearman Correlation Coefficient ranging from 0.17 to 0.61 if the relationship was
significant).
1.10 Internet reference
1.11 Pertinent literature
1.12 Scientific
1.13 Method developed by1.14 Method reported by
BQE method harmonization
- data acquisition
2.01 Sampling/Survey guidelines
CEN – European Committee for Standarization, 2003. Water quality – Guidance standard
for the routine sampling and pretreatment of benthic diatoms from rivers. - European
Standard EN 13946.
2.02 Short description
Rivers: 5 stones or 5 macrophytes stems are randomly selected from 10 to 100 m river
stretch
Lakes: 5 randomly selected reed stems from 10 to 30 cm above the water level
2.03 Method to select the sampling/survey site or area Random sampling/surveying
2.04 Sampling/survey device
Brush
2.05 Specification:
n.a.
2.06 Sampled/surveyed habitat
Single habitat(s), stones,
macrophytes
2.07 Sampled/surveyed zones in areas with tidal influence:
not relevant
2.08 Sampling/survey month(s)
rivers: May to October, lakes: June to October
2.09 Number of sampling/survey occasions (in time) to classify site or area
One occasion per sampling season
2.10 Number of spatial replicates per sampling/survey occasion to classify site or area 5
2.11 Total sampled/surveyed area or volume or total sampling duration to classify site or
area - 100 cm2
BQE method harmonization
- data acquisition
Sample processing
2.12 Minimum size of organisms sampled and processed
all diatoms
2.13 Sample treatment
Organisms of the complete
sample are identified.
2.14 Level of taxonomical identification
Species/species groups
2.15 Record of abundance:
Relative abundance
in relation to
Area
Unit:
number of valves per 400 valves
2.16 Quantification of biomass:
n.a.
2.17 Other biological data: none
2.18 Special cases, exceptions, additions:
none
BQE method harmonization
- data evaluation
3.01 List of biological metrics
Relative abundance of taxa with indicator and sensitivity values for organic material and
nutrients (diatom indices calculated by OMNIDIA)
3.02 Does the metric selection differ between types of water bodies
Yes
3.03 Combination rule for multi-metrics
Average metric scores
3.04 From which biological data are the metrics calculated?
Data from single
sampling/survey occasion in time
Reference conditions
3.05 Scope of reference conditions
3.06 Key source(s) to derive reference
Surface water type-specific
Expert knowledge, Least Disturbed
Conditions
3.07 Reference site characterisation
Number of sites:
n.a.
Geographical coverage: Location of sites:
Data time period:
Criteria:
It was practically impossible to find reference conditions, especially in case
of lowland rivers and large rivers that are the most of Hungarian rivers, so we used the so
called “Least Disturbed Sites” for boundary setting.
BQE method harmonization
- data evaluation
3.08 Reference community description
3.09 Results expressed as EQR?
n.a.
Yes
Boundary setting
3.10 Setting of ecological status boundaries Equidistant division of the EQR gradient
3.11 Boundary setting procedure
Reference conditions which could be applied across rivers in Hungary have not been
established yet. Nevertheless, unimpacted stretches or sites with low pollution and with
smaller hydromorphological alterations can be found in almost every river type. On
basis of the pressure data (TP, BOD, CODCr, Electrical Conductivity) the LDS were
selected. 10th percentiles of the index values of the selected LDS sites were considered as
high/good (H/G) class boundaries and 75th percentiles as good/moderate (G/M)
boundaries in every type. The rest of data was divided into 3 equal parts between the
minimum value of the index in a given river type and the G/M value in order to set the
further boundaries. Theoretical EQR values (H/G= 0.8; G/M= 0.6; M/P= 0.4; P/B= 0.2)
were plotted against the index boundaries for all types. By equation of the actual line of
best fit the EQR values can be calculated.
3.12 “Good status” community
At good status stands of the sensitive taxa are well developed, they are dominant, but
significantly decreasing at good-moderate boundary and replaced by tolerant taxa.
3.13 Consideration of uncertainty
No (to be done)
Thank you for your attention!
www.icpdr.org
icpdr@unvienna.org